Home
by unshakespearean
Summary: Ten-year-old Chloe Amanda Donnell was just looking for a policeman. That's all. And that blue box with the words "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX" seemed to fit the bill. But when she opens it, she finds something far better than any policeman: she finds the Doctor. Series 1 rewrite. Rated T for language and also a few trigger warnings, namely mentions of abuse.
1. Little Girl Lost

**Hey everyone! Here comes a shiny new Doctor Who fanfic! Before we get going, I'm going to let you know that this story will contain triggers, namely mentions of abuse. I'll try not to get into too many details, and write these details into the filler chapters as opposed to the actual "episode rewrite" chapters, and of course will put a warning at the beginning of any chapter containing such details.**

**Right then! Let's go! Allons-y! (Whoops, wrong Doctor)**

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Little Girl Lost<strong>

A young girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes took off down the street, trying to hold back tears. As much as she _hated _it at home, being kicked out was something completely different and far scarier, and she had no idea what to do.

_I need a policeman_, she decided. _A policeman will be able to help me_. But where would she find one? She had no idea where the nearest police station was.

After what was probably only thirty minutes but felt like hours of running, she stopped in an abandoned lot to take a breath, and then she saw it. A big blue box, with the words "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX" in white letters that almost seemed to glow.

_Maybe there's a policeman in the box_, she thought, and so she ran up and knocked on the door. "Hello? Hello? Is there a policeman in there? I need help! Hello?"

She was about to turn away in defeat when there was a slight _creak _and the door swung open.

"Hello?" she called out again, and she walked inside to be met with a room that seemed to be far, far larger than the box outside.

"What on earth?" she asked. She ran out the door and around the box, and then back inside. Sure enough, it was somehow… bigger on the inside. And it was absolutely _beautiful_. The room was round, like a dome, with little hexagonal designs on the walls, and lit with a soft golden glow. Coral-like structures seemed to grow out of the floor, and in the center of it all was some sort of circular control panel lit up in turquoise blue. She felt as though she could stay there forever. But there was a part of her that felt like she couldn't. So, feeling sadder than ever, she walked out of the box and bumped right into a man wearing a leather jacket.

"What the hell were you doing in there?" he nearly shouted.

"I-I'm sorry, sir," the girl said nervously.

"Get out! Go! Go home!" He was clearly furious, bright blue eyes nearly stabbing her. She would be absolutely terrified, but… those ears.

"I'm going," she said quickly. "Honestly, I'm going. But first, could you please tell me where there's a police station?"

"A police station?" he asked.

"That's right, sir. That's the only reason I went inside the box - 'cause it said POLICE on it. I thought there'd be a policeman inside. 'Cept there wasn't. But now I'm going."

"What did you need a policeman for?" he asked.

"I thought one'd be able to help me, sir," she explained. "My mum and dad kicked me out, so I was hoping a policeman might find me somewhere to go."

His piercing gaze softened. "How old are you?"

"Ten years old, sir," she replied. "Eleven in June."

"You're ten years old, and your parents kicked you out." It wasn't a question. "You're _ten years old_, and your parents _kicked you out_."

"Th-that's right, sir," she stammered. "C-could you please tell me where the police station is? I really do need a policeman."

"Sorry, I have no clue," he said apologetically.

"Right, well, I'll be going then," she said sadly. "Sorry for going inside your box. It's _beautiful _in there." She turned and began to walk away.

"Isn't she just," the man called after her. "You could stay, if you like."

She turned around. "What do you mean, _stay_?"

"In my box. You could stay in my box." He cracked a smile. "It's more than just the one room in there," he said. "It's where I live. You can live here too, if you want."

The girl took a few steps forward, but then stopped. "Hold on. Why should I trust you? They always say, don't trust strangers, 'specially grown men."

"Who's _they_?" he retorted. "Your parents? The ones who kicked you out? People who'd kick a ten-year-old kid out of the house aren't very trustworthy, are they?" She nodded, tears starting to form. "Come here," he said gently, holding his arms out. "I promise I won't hurt you."

She hadn't been held in so, so long…

"That's it," he murmured as she flew into his arms and began sobbing into his shirt. "I've got you. You're safe." There was still a part of her that didn't trust him, but it was swept and washed away by the fact that this man was hugging her tightly, stroking her hair and murmuring soothing nonsense.

After a few moments, she dropped her arms and stepped back to look up at him.

He really did have huge ears.

"So," he grinned, "are you staying?"

"I don't even know who you are," she replied.

"I'm the Doctor," he said.

"'The Doctor?' Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor." He had just a hint of an exasperated look on his face, as though he had given this explanation hundreds of times. "What's your name?"

"Chloe, sir," the young girl said, her face just starting to break into a smile. "Chloe Amanda Donnell."

"Oh, stop it with the _sir_," the Doctor sighed. "Just Doctor. Sir makes me feel like I'm in the military, and God knows I've had enough of that." His face fell as he said this, and Chloe instantly felt sorry. Her friend Lucy's dad had been killed in action a year ago, and she knew how hard it had been on her. The sad face vanished quickly, however, to be replaced by a bright - albeit clearly fake - smile. "Well. It's far more fun inside than it is out here." He pushed on the door of the box and it swung open. "Chloe Amanda Donnell, welcome to the TARDIS."

"TARDIS?" she asked as she walked inside, eyes widening once again as she took in the sights of the bigger-on-the-inside room. "Is that what the box is called?"

"That's right. T-A-R-D-I-S. Stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

Chloe looked at him quizzically "What's that mean, _time and relative dimension in space_?"

His grin grew, if possible, even wider, stretching from ear to giant ear. "It's a ship, Chloe. It can travel anywhere in time and space."

She had a thought. "So that-" she pointed to the control panel in the center "-big control panel thing, with the green light, is that how you fly it and things?"

"It's called the console," the Doctor explained, "and the green light is called the time rotor."

"Alright, and how does it do the bigger-on-the-inside thing?" she asked. "Is it magic? No, not magic. It's a time machine and a spaceship, so science… Alien! It's gotta be alien technology! Are _you _an alien?"

"Yes," the Doctor nodded.

"That's so cool!" she said excitedly, jumping up and down a bit. "What kind of alien? Where are you from?"

"I'm a Time Lord," he replied.

"Time Lord," Chloe tried. "That's a strange sort of name for an alien. Thought it'd be more like… a Beezlebub or a Fnargl or something like that."

"Nope. Time Lord. And I'm from the planet Gallifrey."

"Gallifrey," she repeated. "Where's that? Can you take me there?"

"No," he replied stoically. "Now, it's getting late. I'd say it's high time that you get some sleep. Go on then. Off you go. Through that door, and the TARDIS will show you your room. She likes you."

"She likes me?" Chloe asked. "Is she alive?"

_Hello, little one_, a gentle female voice rang out. It didn't seem to come from anywhere; in fact, the voice seemed to be inside her own mind.

"Hello," Chloe said hesitantly, "you like me?"

_Very much so, little one_, the TARDIS replied. _Why else would I have let you in earlier? I don't open up to just _anyone_, you know._

"That was you," she realized. "The door opening when I knocked… there was nobody inside… _you _opened the door for me!"

_Indeed_. It almost felt as though the TARDIS were smiling in her mind. _Now, I know that you're tired. How about you see your room, alright?_

"Okay," she said. "Goodnight, Doctor."

"Goodnight, Chloe," he replied. "Sleep well."

Chloe looked at the time rotor and addressed the TARDIS, "Alright, how do I get to my room?"

_Like this_, the TARDIS said, and in a flash of light, Chloe was standing in a bedroom.

"Wow," Chloe whispered as she looked around the room. It was possibly the most incredible bedroom she could imagine, all in lavender and white, with a great big bookshelf and a comfy little chair for reading and a closet and- "Is that a _bathroom_?!"

_I hope you don't mind that you get your own_, the TARDIS said somewhat playfully.

"I love it!" she exclaimed, jumping on the bed. "Thank you!"

_My pleasure, little one._

"Hey, what's this?" she asked, holding up a little device hanging off her bed. She tapped it, and suddenly it seemed that she was no longer in her bedroom, but floating in space, a thousand stars in front of her. "Wow," she whispered again.

_I can show you whatever you want to see_, the TARDIS told her. _Just tell me what you want to see, and I'll show you._

"Okay," Chloe grinned. "Show me… Oh! Show me Gallifrey! I really want to see it."

_Sorry, no can do._

"Why not?" she asked. "The Doctor won't take me there, but I want to see it. I want to see where he's from."

_I can't_, the TARDIS said, and somehow, there was a bit of grief in her voice. _I'm sorry, Chloe, but I can't show you Gallifrey. I can show you a hundred million beautiful things, but not Gallifrey._

"Fine," she pouted. "This is pretty. I think I'd like to keep looking at this." She laid back and then realized something. "I don't have any clothes or a toothbrush or anything," she said. "And I can't go back home-"

_Look in the closet, _the TARDIS said. She ran to the closet and opened it to see scores of the bright, sparkly outfits and fluffy pajamas she'd always wanted but was never allowed to have.

"Yay, thank you!" she squealed. She grabbed a set of pajamas and was about to put them on when she said, "Wait… you're going to see me change…"

_I'll turn away, _the TARDIS assured her.

Chloe changed as quickly as she could and then fell back on the bed, kicking her small bare feet in the air. "I'm done!" she laughed. "Is there a toothbrush and stuff in the bathroom, too?"

_What do you think? _The ship's tone was clearly facetious, and she chuckled as Chloe ran to the bathroom.

Chloe came back a few moments later and sat down once more on her bed, looking out at the stars in front of her. "Well, I think I might go to bed now," she decided, snuggling under the covers. "You might want to, I dunno, cover your ears or whatever it is talking spaceships do to block out noise, and tell the Doctor to, too, 'cuz I might scream - I do most nights these days. Nightmares and all"

_Oh, that won't be necessary, _the TARDIS said. _No nightmares tonight._

"It's not like I can _control_ them," Chloe argued. "They just _happen_."

_Shhhhhhh, _the TARDIS said gently. The lights in the room slowly faded, leaving nothing but the soft starlight. _Just sleep, my little one. _

Chloe closed her eyes, the bed underneath her feeling _particularly_ soft and comfortable, and just when she thought things couldn't get any more soothing, she heard singing. "Are you singing?" she mumbled sleepily.

_Sleep, my little one, _the TARDIS cooed, and, even though Chloe wanted desperately to know who was singing, she couldn't stay awake any longer.

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><p><strong>Hey everyone! Here's the first chapter of "Home!" Hope you guys like so far!<strong>

"**Chloe Amanda Donnell" is not a name I pulled from thin air. Our heroine is actually named after three of my chosen-sisters, whom I love with all of my heart and soul.**

**Also, a special shoutout to the newest member of the Lone Shippers, RosetheOwl (Rose)!**

**Remember to follow the What the Fluff Project!**

**And, as always, love and ducks to ALL of my beloved Lone Shippers (which now includes myself, Rachel, Emma, Seraphina, Mary, Rachel, Rhian, Lucy, Ellie-Mai, Meg, Fedrogen, Caitlin, and Rose), hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, shoutouts to my sisters, and cookies for all!**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxx**


	2. Living Plastic

**Chapter Two: Living Plastic**

The Doctor sat in the jump seat, contemplating recent events. The Autons had been pretty easy to blow up; that was taken care of. Rose, the blond girl, was probably safe at home and more worried about finding a new job than about the man who'd destroyed her old one.

And then there was Chloe Amanda Donnell. The little girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes who came across his TARDIS by mistake and waltzed right on in.

"Good morning!" a small voice called out. Little footsteps filled the console room. "Sleep well?"

"Good morning, Chloe," the Doctor smiled. "I don't usually sleep. What about you?"

"You really should sleep," she half-chastised. "Anyway, I slept _great_. Best sleep in ages."

"Fantastic!" The Doctor nearly jumped up into the air. "Now. Time for your first trip. Where to, Chloe Amanda Donnell? Backwards in time? Forwards? Another planet?" A monitor bleeped on the TARDIS. "Oh, you're kidding me."

"What is it?" Chloe asked, running to the Doctor's side.

"See that?" The Doctor pointed to a building that was lighting up with a red light. "There's Auton material in one of those flats."

"Auton? What's that?"

"Plastic," the Doctor explained. "Living plastic creatures."

"_Living _plastic?" Chloe raised an eyebrow. "How can plastic be alive?"

"Never mind that," the Doctor said. "We've got to go catch that Auton before it makes trouble."

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><p>"Are you sure peeking through a cat flap is the best idea?" Chloe asked as the Doctor pointed a small metal something-or-other at the cat flap and it popped open.<p>

"No, but I'm doing it."

"I mean, what if there's someone inside? They might find it-" the door opened to reveal a blond girl, around nineteen or twenty years old "-creepy."

Apparently, the Doctor recognized the girl, because he asked "What're you doing here?"

"I live here," she replied.

"Well, what do you do that for?" the Doctor said.

"What, live there?" Chloe asked. "Because she does… not that I'm an expert on such things," she muttered.

"I'm only at home because _someone_ blew up my job," the blond girl said pointedly, narrowing her eyes at the Doctor.

"You blew up her job?!" Chloe exclaimed.

"I must have got the wrong signal," the Doctor said, ignoring Chloe. "You're not plastic, are you?" He knocked on her forehead. "No, bonehead. Bye, then."

"Both of you, inside. Now." The blond girl pulled the two of them into the flat.

"Who is it?" a woman's voice called out from inside.

"It's about last night," the girl explained. "They're part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes."

"She deserves compensation," the woman called.

The Doctor and Chloe walked into the doorway of the woman's bedroom. "Oh, we're talking millions," the Doctor grinned.

The woman gave a slight smile. "I'm in my dressing gown."

"Yes, you are," the Doctor nodded.

"There's a strange man in my bedroom," she continued.

"Yes, there is."

"Well, anything could happen," the woman said, waggling her eyebrows slightly. Chloe had to stifle the urge to fake-puke.

"No," the Doctor said, shaking his head, and he went to follow the girl, taking Chloe with him.

"You blew up her job," Chloe sighed. "Do you even know her name?"

"Rose," the Doctor replied. "Asked her before I blew the place up."

"Polite of you," Chloe muttered.

"Don't mind the mess," Rose called as they walked in. "Do either of you want a coffee?"

"Might as well, thanks," said the Doctor. "Just milk."

"Cup of water'd be great, thanks," Chloe grinned, sinking onto the couch.

"We should go to the police," said Rose as she left the room to go into the kitchen. "Seriously. Both of us. All three of us," she corrected herself when Chloe coughed pointedly.

"That won't last, he's gay and she's an alien," said the Doctor, holding up some sort of celebrity gossip magazine.

Rose continued over him, "I'm not blaming you, even if it was just some sort of joke that went wrong."

The Doctor flipped through a paperback, not really listening. "Hmm. Sad ending," he said.

"They said on the news they'd found a body," said Rose.

Chloe, in an attempt not to laugh at how neither of them cared about what the other was saying, picked up a piece of mail to see what Rose's last name was. "Tyler," she said softly. "Rose Tyler."

Meanwhile, the Doctor was looking at himself in a mirror. "Ah, could've been worse. Look at the ears." He pulled on the aforementioned objects.

"Hard not to," Chloe called.

"Oi!"

"All the same, he was nice," Rose said. "Nice bloke."

Still not listening, the Doctor picked up a pack of cards and tried to shuffle it, singing "Luck be a lady," and, while Rose said something about going to the police and wanting the Doctor to explain everything, the cards flew all over the place. "Maybe not." Just then, they heard rattling. "What's that, then? You got a cat?"

"No," Rose replied. "We did have, but now they're just strays. They come in off of the estate."

Just then, a plastic arm came flying out of nowhere and grabbed the Doctor, trying to strangle him. "Doctor!" Chloe screamed.

Rose came in from the kitchen with two mugs of coffee. "I'll get your water next." She turned to see the arm still strangling the Doctor. "I told Mickey to chuck that out. You're all the same. Give a man a plastic hand. Anyway, I don't even know your name. Doctor, what was it?"

"He's not faking it!" Chloe shouted as the Doctor pulled the arm off. It stopped in midair and then went for Rose's face. "Rose!" The Doctor and Chloe ran to pull the arm off of her face, but instead they all fell onto the glass coffee table, smashing it. It took a few moments, but finally the Doctor managed to get it off with his silver thing, and then jammed it into the hand's palm, causing the fingers to stop moving.

"It's all right, I've stopped it," the Doctor said, tossing the plastic hand to Chloe, whose face was pale with nervousness. "There you go, you see? 'Armless."

"Do you think?" She hit the Doctor with the arm.

"Ow!" the Doctor shouted. "Come on, let's go." And he grabbed Chloe's hand and led her out the door.

"Hold on a minute," Rose said, running after them. "You can't just go swanning off."

"Yes we can. Here we are. This is us, swanning off. See ya!" The Doctor and Chloe kept running down the stairs.

"But that arm was _moving_," Rose argued. "It tried to _kill_ me."

"Ten out of ten for observation," said the Doctor.

"You're nice," Chloe muttered.

"You can't just walk away!" Rose exclaimed. "That's not fair. You've got to tell me what's going on!"

"No, I don't," the Doctor replied snarkily.

"All right, then," said Rose. "I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice. Tell me, or I'll start talking."

"Is that supposed to sound tough?" the Doctor asked.

"Sort of," Rose said.

"Doesn't work."

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Told you," said the Doctor, "The Doctor."

"Yeah, but Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor." He turned to look at Chloe, rolling his eyes slightly.

"The Doctor," Rose said disbelievingly.

"Hello!" The Doctor grinned and waved.

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?" she asked.

"Sort of," he shrugged.

"Right, and who's the kid?" She pointed at Chloe.

"Chloe Amanda Donnell," Chloe replied, scowling slightly.

"Come on, then. You can tell me. I've seen enough. Are you the police?"

"Funny you should ask," Chloe chuckled.

"No, I was just passing through," said the Doctor. "I'm a long way from home."

"But what have I done wrong?" Rose asked. "How comes those plastic things keep coming after me?"

"Oh, suddenly the _entire world revolves around you_," the Doctor said with more of that snark. "You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all."

"It tried to kill me," she argued.

"It was after me, not you," he explained. "Last night, in the shop, I was there, you blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cos you've met me."

Rose pondered this, and then said, "So what you're saying is, _the entire world revolves around you_."

"Sort of, yeah," said the Doctor.

"You're full of it," Chloe laughed.

"Sort of, yeah." He gave Chloe's hand a squeeze and pulled her closer. He really did like this little girl.

"But, all this plastic stuff… who else knows about it?"

"No one," said the Doctor.

"What, you're on your own?" Rose asked.

"Well, I've got Chloe," the Doctor said, "and she's fantastic. But otherwise, who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

Rose grabbed the Doctor's other hand. "Okay. Start from the beginning. I mean, if we're going to go with the living plastic, and I don't even believe that, but if we do, how did you kill it?"

The Doctor sighed, and then gave in. "The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead."

"So that's… radio control?" Chloe asked.

"Thought control," the Doctor corrected. Rose looked surprised. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "So, who's controlling it, then?"

"Long story," the Doctor said quickly.

"But what's it all for?" she asked. "I mean, shop window dummies, what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?"

"No," said the Doctor. "It's not a price war." Chloe laughed. "They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me."

"No," Rose replied.

"But you're still listening," Chloe pointed out.

Rose stopped, and then called after them. "Really, though, Doctor. Tell me, who are you?"

The Doctor stopped, and then turned back, grabbing Rose's hand. "Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go-" he let go of Rose's hand "-that's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home." He turned and began walking away. "Come on, Chloe."

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><p><strong>Hey everyone! Here's chapter two!<strong>

**Remember to checkout What the Fluff!**

**And, as always, love and ducks to the Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, shoutouts to my sisters, and cookies for all!**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxxx**


	3. The Nestene Consciousness

**Chapter Three: The Nestene Consciousness**

"There's another one," the Doctor said exasperatedly, staring at the monitor and beckoning Chloe over. "At a pizza place this time. Oh, there _she_ is again."

"Rose?" Chloe asked as she ran for the monitor to see Rose, eating pizza with what seemed to be a plastic copy of her boyfriend. "Why do we keep bumping into her?"

"No idea," the Doctor shrugged as he began punching in the coordinates. "But I don't want you to come with me this time. This isn't just an arm. It's a plastic copy of a human being, and it's dangerous."

"I want to come!" Chloe whined. "Please, Doctor? Can't I come with you?"

"You could get killed, Chloe," said the Doctor. "And I don't want that. I'll be back in a bit." He gave his young companion a hug. "TARDIS, take her somewhere fun. The anti-grav room, perhaps."

"Anti-grav room?" Chloe asked excitedly. "What's that?"

_Literally a room with no gravity_, the TARDIS explained, and she teleported Chloe away.

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><p>The Doctor walked into the restaurant, bottle of champagne in hand, and listened carefully, trying to pick out the best point to interject.<p>

"Do you think I should try the hospital?" Rose said to the plastic guy in front of her. "Suki said they had jobs going in the canteen. Is that it then, dishing out chips. I could do A Levels. I don't know. It's all Jimmy Stone's fault. I only left school because of him. Look where he ended up. What do you think?"

The plastic guy clearly wasn't listening; instead asking, "So, where did you meet this Doctor?"

Rose narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me for a second?"

El Plastico continued right along, "Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Was he something to do with that?"

"No," she said quickly.

"Come on," he pressed.

She shrugged. "Sort of."

"What was he doing there?"

"I'm not going on about it, Mickey," said Rose. "Really, I'm not, because, I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe. I think he's dangerous."

"But you can trust me, sweetheart-babe-sugar-babe-sugar." The pet names all came out as though he was a robot with faulty programming - which, in fact, he was. "You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Rose. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart-babe-babe-sugar-sweetheart."

"What're you doing that for?" Rose asked, finally catching on.

_Perfect_, the Doctor thought. "Your champagne," he said, walking up to them.

"We didn't order any champagne," said El Plastico. "Where's the Doctor?

The Doctor walked around to Rose's side. "Madam, your champagne."

"It's not ours," Rose said. "Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?"

Plastic!Mickey grabbed her wrist. "I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Doesn't anybody want this champagne?"

"Look, we didn't order it-" Plasticarono finally looked up and saw the Doctor. "Ah. Gotcha."

The Doctor started shaking the champagne bottle. "Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!" He released the cage and the cork hit plastic!Mickey's forehead, sunk into the not-flesh, and then plastic!Mickey spit it out.

"Anyway." Plastic!Mickey stood up and his hand became something vaguely resembling an axe, which proceeded to destroy the table. Rose screamed and ran while the Doctor caught plastic!Mickey in a headlock and successfully pulled the plastic head off of the body. "Don't think that's gonna stop me," said the head, and the body then began rampaging around.

Rose ran for the fire alarm and set it off. "Everyone out! Out now! Get out! Get out! Get out!" She and the Doctor, carrying the head, ran through the kitchens, getting everyone out, finally going out the back exit. The plastic body tried to chase them, but the Doctor locked the exit. "Open the gate!" Rose shouted, shaking the padlocked gates in front of them. "Use that tube thing! Come on!"

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor corrected her.

"Use it!" she shouted.

"Nah. Tell you what, let's go in here." He unlocked the TARDIS and went inside while the body began hammering on the metal door, making large dents.

"You can't hide inside a wooden box!" Rose exclaimed. "It's going to get us! Doctor!" She tried the gate again and then ran inside the TARDIS, stopped, ran around, and then went back inside. "It's going to follow us!"

"The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried," the Doctor said casually. "Now, shut up a minute." Chloe teleported into the room. "Chloe! Good of you to join us. You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source."

"I think Rose might have some questions," Chloe pointed out.

"Right," said the Doctor. "Where do you want to start?"

"Er, the inside's bigger than the outside?" Rose said nervously.

"Yes."

"It's alien," Chloe explained.

"Are you alien?" Rose asked.

"Yes." The Doctor nodded. "Is that alright?"

"Yeah," Rose said, although she didn't really seem alright.

"It's called the TARDIS, this thing," the Doctor plowed on. "T-A-R-D-I-S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space." Rose burst into tears. "That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us."

"Did they kill him?" Rose asked. "Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?"

"Oh," the Doctor realized. "I didn't think of that."

"'Course you didn't," Chloe muttered.

"He's my boyfriend," Rose said. "You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?"

"Melt?" the Doctor asked. Chloe pointed to the console, where the plastic head was melting. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" He began pulling levers.

"What're you doing?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Following the signal. It's fading. Wait a minute, I've got it. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Almost there. Almost there. Here we go!" He ran for the door.

"You can't go out there; it's not safe!" Rose shouted as he ran out the door.

But they weren't in the back of the restaurant anymore.

"I lost the signal," the Doctor lamented. "I got so close!"

"We've moved," Chloe said as she poked her head out the door. "Does it fly?"

"Disappears there and reappears here. You wouldn't understand."

Then Rose realized something. "If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose."

"It melted with the head. Are you going to witter on all night?"

"I'll have to tell his mother," Rose said sadly. The Doctor looked at her confusedly. "Mickey. I'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again! You were right, you are alien."

"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey-"

"-Yeah, he's not a kid," Rose interrupted.

"-It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, all right?"

"All right?!" Rose exclaimed.

"Yes, it is!" the Doctor shouted.

"If you are an alien, how comes you sound like you're from the North?" Rose asked.

"Lots of planets have a north!" the Doctor retorted.

"What's a police public call box?" she asked.

"It's a telephone box from the 1950s," the Doctor explained. "It's a disguise."

"Alright, I've got a question," Chloe piped up. "This living plastic. What's it got against us?"

"Nothing," the Doctor grinned, wrapping an arm around Chloe's skinny little shoulders. "It _loves_ you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. Its food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!"

"Any way of stopping it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor held up a tube of blue liquid. "Anti-plastic."

"Anti-plastic?" Chloe looked up at the tube and poked it.

"Anti-plastic!" the Doctor repeated. "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"Hold on, hide what?" Rose asked.

"The transmitter," the Doctor replied. "The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"What's it look like?" Rose asked.

"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible." Rose and Chloe looked at each other and began giggling. "What? What?" He turned and looked behind him, but didn't see it. "What? What is it? What?"

"The London Eye, you idiot," Chloe laughed.

The Doctor turned and saw the massive wheel. "Oh. Fantastic!" He grabbed Chloe and Rose's hands and ran towards the giant wheel. "Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables-"

"The breast implants," Rose interjected.

"Really?" Chloe asked. "All of the plastic things that'll be controlled, and you're worried about _implants_?"

"Still," the Doctor said over them, trying to avoid an argument, "we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."

"What about down here?" Rose asked, pointing at a manhole cover at the bottom of a set of steps.

"Looks good to me," the Doctor grinned. Chloe looked at him expectantly. "Fine, you can come," he sighed. They ran down the stairs and the Doctor opened the hatch to reveal a red light, into which they climbed, down a ladder and another flight of steps. "The Nestene Consciousness," the Doctor said, pointing. "That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature."

"Well, then, tip in your anti-plastic and let's go," Rose said. Chloe nodded in agreement, her little face paling with fear. Rose wrapped a protective arm around the smaller girl.

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance." And he went down to a catwalk overlooking the vat of plastic. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract," he announced, "according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation." The stuff in the vat began moving around. "Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?"

Just then, Rose noticed someone down below and began running to him. "Oh, God! Mickey, it's me! It's okay. It's all right. Chloe, come down here with us." Chloe came down the stairs. "Chloe, this is Mickey."

"Hi," Chloe grinned.

Mickey ignored her, saying "That thing down there, the liquid. Rose, it can talk!"

"You're stinking. Doctor, they kept him alive!"

"Yeah, that was always a possibility," the Doctor said casually. "Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You knew that and you never said?"

"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" the Doctor snapped. He kept going down the stairs. "Am I addressing the Consciousness?" The giant plastic thing made a growling sound. "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilisation by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" A facelike thing formed in the vat of plastic and made another noise. Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights."

"Constitutional rights?" Chloe laughed. "Really?"

"I am talking!" the Doctor shouted at her. "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go."

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, pointing at a pair of shop dummies running to grab the Doctor.

As bad as the dummies' grabbing the Doctor was, Chloe noticed something far, far worse, "The anti-plastic!" which was being pulled out of the pocket of the Doctor's leather jacket.

"That was just insurance," the Doctor tried to explain. "I wasn't going to use it. I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not." The Consciousness made another screaming sound. "What do you mean?" A door slid back to reveal the TARDIS. "No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship. That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!"

"What's it doing?!" Chloe asked.

"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, you two! Just leg it now!"

Chloe shook her head. "I'm not leaving without you!" she called back.

Meanwhile, Rose was talking to her mother, trying to convince her to go he. "Mum! Mum!" she said, but the line went dead. "Damn it," she muttered.

The Consciousness began throwing energy bolts. "It's the activation signal," the Doctor realized. "It's transmitting!"

"It's the end of the world," Rose whispered as the plastic became more and more agitated.

"Get out, you two! Just get out! Run!" the Doctor shouted.

"The stairs have gone!" Rose said.

"And I'm not leaving without you!" Chloe repeated. Rose grabbed her hand and pulled her with them. "Rose! Let me go!"

"No!" Rose shouted. "Come on!" They ran to the TARDIS, and Rose began banging on the door. "I haven't got the key!"

"Let me try," Chloe said. She knocked gently on the door. "Please let us in," she whispered, but the door stayed locked. "Come on, why aren't you letting us in? You let me in before!"

"We're going to die!" Mickey wailed, not having heard Chloe's plea.

"No, we're not!" Chloe argued. "There's gotta be another way!"

Rose stood up and looked around, trying to figure out what to do, and then she had a thought. She took off down the stairs.

"Just leave him!" Mickey shouted. "There's nothing you can do!"

"Shut up!" Chloe yelled.

Rose reached a chain tied up with rope and stared at it. Picking up an axe, she declared, "I've got no A Levels, no job, no future… but I tell you what I have got. Jericho Street Junior School under 7s gymnastic team. I've got the bronze!" She chopped through the rope and took firm hold, running and swinging out over the catwalk, kicking the two dummies, one of whom was holding the anti-plastic, into the vat. The Consciousness screamed as it began to turn blue.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing her as she swung back. "Now we're in trouble." He grabbed her hand and ran for the TARDIS, pulling Chloe and Mickey inside with them and rushing for the console. The minute the ship landed safely, Mickey flew out, terrified, Rose going out behind him and called her mother again. Chloe made to follow them, but the Doctor stopped her. "Chloe, from now on, if I tell you to run, run. Don't wait up for me, alright?"

"No promises," Chloe said, shaking her head.

"And _you_, old girl-" he tapped the time rotor "-had better let Chloe in next time she knocks. I don't care who's with her or what sort of clever thing you want someone to try to do; you let Chloe in no matter what. Understand?"

_Alright, alright_, the TARDIS hummed casually. _Now go on outside._

They walked outside to see Rose, who was standing next to Mickey. Correction: Mickey was clutching at her legs. "A fat lot of good you were," she said.

"Nestene Consciousness? Easy," the Doctor bragged.

"You were useless in there!" Chloe argued. "You'd be dead if it wasn't for Rose."

"Yes, I would," the Doctor admitted. Chloe coughed. "What?"

"What do you say, Doctor?" she prompted.

"Thank you," the Doctor said. Chloe nodded. "Right then, we'll be off, unless, er, I don't know, you could come with us.

"Come with you?" Rose asked.

"This box isn't just a London hopper, you know," the Doctor explained. "It goes anywhere in the universe. Free of charge."

"Don't," Mickey begged. "He's an alien. He's a thing."

"He's _not_ invited," said the Doctor. "What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go… anywhere."

"Is it always this dangerous?" she asked.

The Doctor looked at Chloe before admitting, "Yeah."

"Yeah, I can't," said Rose, shaking her head. "I've er, I've got to go and find my mum and someone's got to look after this stupid lump, so…"

"Okay," the Doctor said sadly.

"See you around," Chloe smiled.

They went back into the TARDIS and the Doctor threw a lever. "Right then, Chloe. Where to?"

"Go back," Chloe said. "She should come with us. Come on, we can get her to come with us."

"How?" the Doctor asked.

Chloe thought for a moment. "I have an idea. Go back. I'll do the talking."

"Alright," the Doctor said. He pulled another lever and the TARDIS engines started again.

Rose turned to see the TARDIS materializing again. The door opened and Chloe poked her head out.

"He forgot to mention the best part," the ten-year-old grinned. "It also travels in time." She and Rose shared a look. "_Please_," Chloe mouthed.

Rose broke into a huge smile and then turned to Mickey. "Thanks," she said.

"Thanks for what?" he asked.

"Exactly." And with that, she kissed Mickey's cheek and ran for the TARDIS.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey everyone! Chapter three is here, and with it comes the end of s1e1, "Rose!" Up next is s1e2, "The End Of The World!"<strong>

**So, what do you think of Chloe thus far? Make sure to drop a review! Also, checkout the What the Fluff Project!**

**And, as always, love and ducks to the Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, shoutouts to my sisters, and cookies for all!**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxx**


	4. Platform One

**Chapter Four: Platform One**

The Doctor grinned as Chloe and Rose walked back into the TARDIS. "Right then, Rose Tyler, Chloe Amanda Donnell, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be?"

The two girls looked at each other, considering, before Rose finally made the choice for them both. "Forwards."

The Doctor began screwing with the console. "How far?"

"One hundred years," Chloe decided.

A few moments later, the Doctor took his hands off the console and faced the girls. "There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty-second century."

"You're kidding," said Rose.

"That's a bit boring, though. Do you want to go further?" Chloe would've thought nothing of it, but the way the alien man raised his eyebrows told her she had reason to be a bit concerned.

"Fine by me," Rose laughed, clearly unaware of what Chloe had noticed.

The Doctor pulled a few more levers, and the engines started. "Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new Roman Empire."

"You think you're _so_ impressive," Chloe teased.

"I _am_ so impressive!" the Doctor argued.

"You wish," Rose laughed. Chloe already could tell that she liked this Rose Tyler.

"Right then, you girls asked for it," the Doctor declared. "I know exactly where to go. Hold on!" He grinned maniacally as the engines roared to life. A few moments later, the ship landed, and the Doctor gestured out the door.

"Where are we?" Chloe asked excitedly. "What's out there?" The Doctor gestured to the door again and the two girls ran out and down a flight of steps. A shutter in the wall descended to reveal a view of the Earth.

"You lot," the Doctor said with a mix of disdain and affection. "You spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive." Rose and Chloe each looked up at him with both curiosity and wonder. "This is the year 5.5/apple/26-"

"Apple?" Chloe giggled.

"-Five billion years in your future," the Doctor continued, "and this is the day-" He looked at his wristwatch. "Hold on…" The sun flared and turned bright red. "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

"Shuttles five and six now docking," a mechanical female voice announced. "Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for fifteen thirty nine, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."

"So, when it says guests, does that mean people?" Rose asked as they walked down a corridor.

"Depends what you mean by people," the Doctor replied.

"I mean _people_," said Rose. "What do _you_ mean?"

"Aliens," he replied matter-of-factly.

Chloe tugged on the Doctor's hand as she jumped with excitement at the prospect of seeing _real live aliens_. "What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?"

"It's not really a spaceship," the Doctor explained. "More like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn." He sonicked a wall panel.

"What for?"

"Fun. Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich."

"Of course," Chloe scoffed.

"But hold on," Rose interrupted. "They did this once on Newsround Extra. The sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years."

The Doctor nodded. "Millions, but the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there? Gravity satellites holding back the sun."

"The planet looks the same as ever," Chloe noticed. "I thought the continents shifted and things."

"They did, and the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over."

"How long's it got?" Rose asked.

"About half an hour and then the planet gets roasted." The Doctor grinned as he said this. Clearly he was excited about seeing the end of the world.

"Is that why we're here?" Rose asked. "I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?"

"I'm not saving it. Time's up."

Chloe looked up at him, slightly shocked at the fact that he wasn't planning on saving the Earth. He just seemed like that sort of person-alien. "But what about the people?" she asked.

"It's empty," the Doctor explained. "They're all gone. No one left."

"Just us, then," Rose mused.

Just then, a person with blue skin and golden eyes, probably the steward of the observation deck, came walking towards them. "Who the hell are you?" he exclaimed.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks," the Doctor said somewhat snarkily.

"But how did you get in?" blue-man asked. "This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now."

"Oh, that's me. I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation." The Doctor pulled out a piece of completely blank paper. "Look. There, you see? It's fine, you see? The Doctor plus two. I'm the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler, and that's Chloe Amanda Donnell. They're my plus two. Is that all right?" He slipped the blank paper back in his pocket.

Apparently, the blue man thought this so-called "invitation" was suitable, because he said, "Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera." The Doctor nodded in acceptance of the apology. "If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." And he headed over towards a lectern.

"The paper's slightly psychic," the Doctor explained. "It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."

"Cool!" Chloe marveled.

"He's blue," Rose said in a moment of captain obvious.

"I know, right!" Chloe bounced on the balls of her feet. She knew that the Doctor was an alien, but a _blue man_? Now _that _was something.

"Okay," Rose said somewhat nervously.

"We have in attendance the Doctor, Rose Tyler, and Chloe Amanda Donnell," the steward announced. "Thank you. All staff to their positions." He clapped his hands, and a whole bunch of small blue people came running out of seemingly nowhere. "Hurry, now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along. And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest? Representing the Forest of Cheem, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa." A rather elegant woman who had bark for skin came walking through the door, with two larger male tree escorts as the Steward continued, "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you could keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon." A small blue alien on a sort of transport pod, mostly head and belly wheeled inside. "And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme," a group of black-robed bipeds. As more and more strange aliens came through the door, the Steward kept announcing them, "The inventors of Hypo-slip Travel Systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen. Thank you. Cal Spark Plug. Mister and Mrs Pakoo. The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light."

Meanwhile, the trees came up to the Doctor, Rose, and Chloe. "The gift of peace," Jabe said in a voice just as elegant and beautiful as her appearance. "I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." She gave the Doctor a small twig, which he then handed to Rose.

"Thank you," he said in a voice truly grateful. "Yes, gifts… er… I give you in return air from my lungs." He breathed gently on Jabe.

"How intimate," Jabe said, raising her eyebrows.

"There's more where that came from," the Doctor said.

"I bet there is," Jabe said, picking up the flirtation. Chloe rolled her eyes.

Another guest came rolling through the door, a giant somewhat-human-looking head with straggly hair and squinting eyes, whom the Steward announced as the Face of Boe.

"The Moxx of Balhoon!" the Doctor said excitedly as the blue buddha came rolling up to them.

"My felicitations on this historical happenstance," said Moxx. "I give you the gift of bodily salivas." And he spit on them, the saliva hitting Chloe in the face.

"Yuck," she muttered, and she was about to spit back, but the Doctor gave her a look.

"Thank you very much," said the Doctor. Once the Moxx had rolled away, he turned to Chloe and said, "Be polite. Bodily saliva is valued by most aliens."

"As much as air from your lungs?" she asked. "Flirt."

The black-robed group came up to them. "Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme," the Doctor exclaimed. "I bring you air from my lungs." He blew on them again.

"Sure hope you're not flirting with _them_," Chloe whispered to Rose, and the two girls giggled.

The Adherent apparently hadn't heard them, because he/she/it handed the Doctor a metal ball with the words, "A gift of peace in all good faith."

"And last but not least," said the Stewart, "our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human: The Lady Cassandra O'Brien.∆17."

A thin white piece of skin with a face inside it stretched over a rectangular frame came wheeling in with two men with hospital uniforms on. "Oh, now, don't stare," said Cassandra. "I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturise me. Moisturise me." One of her attendants sprayed her with some sort of liquid. "Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan. My mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honour them and say goodbye." A few tears began forming in her eyes. "Oh, no tears, no tears. I'm sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband?" Some of the guests began chuckling, Chloe included. "Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity." A member of the blue kid group came out with an old juke box from the 50s. "According to the archives, this was called an iPod," Cassandra quite incorrectly explained. Chloe was going to laugh, but then she realized that she might draw attention to herself as a time traveler - _holy crud I'm a time traveler_, she thought. "It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" The blue kid pressed a button and a song Chloe vaguely recognized began playing. She turned to see the Doctor dancing and looking rather ridiculous, but then he stopped and looked at something.

"What is it?" Chloe asked as the Steward announced that refreshments would be served and that the Earth would blow up in thirty minutes.

"It's Rose. She's run out of the room." The Doctor grabbed Chloe's hand and began walking out the door, but they were stopped by Jabe.

"Doctor, Chloe?" she asked. She held up a small camera and pressed the button. There was a brief flash of light, and then the two of them went to go after Rose.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey everyone! Here's chapter four! I'm really glad so many of you like it so far! As of the writing of this AN, I have 7 favorites, 12 follows, and, most to my enjoyment, 11 reviews! Keep 'em coming, if you don't mind! I love hearing from you!<strong>

**Make sure to check out the What the Fluff Project - details in my profile! Also, I still have two challenges going on: the Criminal Minds Challenge, which ends March 1st and the Miracle Challenge, which doesn't really end at all. Details for those are also in my profile - check 'em out!**

**And, as always, love and ducks to the Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, shoutouts to my sisters, and cookies for all!**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxx**


	5. Things Get Heated

**Chapter Five: Things Get Heated**

Meanwhile, Rose was wandering the corridor, looking at the Sun through the window, when a young, blue-skinned woman dressed in a baseball cap and overalls came around the corner. "Sorry," said Rose. "Am I allowed to be in here?"

"You have to give us permission to talk," the blue woman explained.

"Er, you have permission?" Rose said hesitantly.

"Thank you," said the woman. "And, no, you're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere."

"Okay," said Rose. She watched as the woman unlocked a wall panel. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Raffalo," the woman replied.

"Raffalo?" Rose tried.

"Yes, miss," Raffalo nodded, smiling slightly. "I won't be long, I've just got to carry out some maintenance. There's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe's suite. There must be something blocking the system. He's not getting any hot water."

"So, you're a plumber?" Rose asked.

"That's right, miss," said Raffalo.

"They still have plumbers?" Rose was slightly surprised. She didn't expect that plumbers were needed in the year five-point-five-slash-orange or whatever it was.

"I hope so, else I'm out of a job," Raffalo half-joked.

"Where are you from?" Rose asked.

"Crespallion," Raffalo replied.

"That's a planet, is it?"

"No. Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex fifty six." The way Raffalo said it wasn't in the least bit condescending; however, Rose still felt slightly like an idiot. Then again, who'd ever heard of the Jaggit Brocade. "And where are you from, miss? If you don't mind me asking."

"No, not at all," Rose grinned, and then she realized that she couldn't actually say where she was from. "Er, I don't know, a long way away. I just sort of… hitched a lift with this man and a girl. I didn't even think about it. I don't even know who they are. They're complete strangers." Rose's heart raced a bit as she thought about these things. She didn't, in fact, know who the Doctor and Chloe were. She was _pretty _sure Chloe was human, but how could she tell? The Doctor sure looked human… "Anyway, don't let me keep you," she said to Raffalo. "Good luck with it."

"Thank you, miss," Raffalo said rather gratefully. "And er, thank you for the permission. Not many people are that considerate."

Rose grinned. Finally, something she felt like she knew. "Okay. See you later." And she walked into another gallery. One of the balls from the Adherents was sitting on the ground. She picked it up and played with it a little bit.

"Earth Death in twenty-five minutes," said the mechanical voice.

"Oh, thanks," said Rose. She put down the ball and picked up the plant pot she'd been carrying. "Hello," she said. "My name's Rose. That's a sort of plant. We might be related. I'm talking to a twig." _Oh, God_, she thought, _what the hell have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

><p>The Doctor and Chloe watched as the blue kid group towed the TARDIS; the ship apparently having been parked in a space where teleportation devices were forbidden. "Oi, now, careful with that. Park it properly. No scratches." One of the kids handed the Doctor a ticket with "Have A Nice Day" on it, and then they left.<p>

The Doctor and Chloe turned to see a gallery door. "Rose might be in there," said Chloe.

The Doctor knocked on the door. "Rose? Are you in there?" The door slid open to reveal Rose, sitting on a set of steps. "Aye, aye. What do you think, then?"

"Great!" Rose said with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, fine. Once you get past the 'slightly psychic' paper."

The Doctor laughed, but Chloe saw something else. "What is it, Rose?"

Rose sighed, and then said "They're just so alien. The… aliens are so… alien. You look at 'em, and they're alien."

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South," the Doctor joked.

"Where are you from?" Rose asked. _Uh-oh_, Chloe thought.

"All over the place," the Doctor said casually, although Chloe knew full well he was lying.

"They all speak English," Rose noticed.

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS," he explained. "The telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates."

"It's inside my brain?"

"Well, in a good way.

"Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?" Rose gave him an indignant look.

"I didn't think about it like that," the Doctor mused.

By this point, Rose was getting angry. "No, you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South! Who are you, then, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are you?"

"I'm just the Doctor," he said.

"From what planet?"

"Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!" the Doctor argued. Chloe inwardly sighed. She felt badly for both of them.

"Where are you from?" she asked again.

"What does it matter?"

"Tell me who you are!" she pressed.

He finally broke. "This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and _this is me_!"

"Yeah, and I'm here too because you brought me here, so just tell me!"

"Oi!" Chloe shouted. "Shut up, both of you!" She walked over to the window. "Look at us. We're standing on an observation deck, about to watch the world blow up, and you two are yelling over nothing! So he doesn't want to tell us where he's from. So what? He's sure to have a good reason not to, and if he does, it's hardly our business." She paused for a moment, feeling slightly guilty because she _did _know what kind of alien the Doctor was and where he was from, but then decided to ignore that because there were other important matters at hand. "And as for the TARDIS translating into English, that's a good thing! Think about it, how many travelers have an awful time traveling because they can't understand what the natives are saying, and here we are and we'll understand every word. And as for you, Doctor, you could be a bit more polite, to everyone. You were rude as all hell to me when we first met, and you weren't that nice to Rose, either, forgetting Mickey all those times and constantly yelling at her and all. Now, I hardly expect you to change, because adults don't usually do that, but at least it's something to think about 'sides cheap shots about the Deep South. Now, both of you, _shut it_!"

There was a slightly awkward pause, and then the computer said, "Earth Death in twenty minutes. Earth Death in twenty minutes."

"All right," Rose said as she walked over to Chloe's side. "As my mate Shareen says, don't argue with the designated driver." She pulled out her cell phone. "Can't exactly call for a taxi. There's no signal. We're out of range, just a bit.

The Doctor walked up to them. "Tell you what," he said, and he took Rose's phone from her. "A little bit of jiggery-pokery-"

"-Is that a technical term, jiggery-pokery?" Rose interrupted.

Chloe expected the Doctor to be annoyed at being interrupted, but instead he grinned and said, "Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you?"

"No, I failed hullabaloo," Rose grinned.

"Oh. There you go." He handed Rose her phone, the battery having been replaced.

_This is the kind of flirting I'm okay with_, Chloe thought. Meanwhile, Rose phoned her mother and talked to her for a few minutes before hanging up.

"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill," the Doctor teased.

Rose had something far more serious on her mind. "That was five billion years ago," she mused. "So, she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead."

"Bundle of laughs, you are," the Doctor said.

"There goes thinking about being polite," Chloe muttered.

Suddenly, the entire space station shook violently. "That's not supposed to happen," said the Doctor as the Steward made an announcement about the turbulence being due to gravity pockets. "Come on!"

"Indubitably, this is the Bad Wolf scenario," said Moxx to one of the other aliens as the Doctor, Rose, and Chloe entered the room. "I find the inherent laxity of the on-going multiverse-"

"That wasn't a gravity pocket," the Doctor interrupted. "I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that. What do you think, Jabe?" he asked as the tree walked over to them. "Listen to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?"

"It's the sound of metal," Jabe replied. "It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Where's the engine room?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know," said Jabe, "but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite. I could show you and your wife."

"She's not my wife," said the Doctor.

"Partner?" Jabe tried.

"No."

"Concubine?"

"Nope."

"Prostitute?"

"Whatever I am, it must be invisible," Rose interrupted. "Do you mind? Tell you what, you two go and… pollinate. I'm going to catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." And she walked off to talk to Cassandra.

"Don't start a fight," the Doctor called after her. He offered Jabe his arm. "I'm all yours."

"And I want you home by midnight," Rose called back.

"Oi, I'm coming with you," Chloe said, and she grabbed the Doctor's other hand as the computer announced that the planet would blow in fifteen minutes.

* * *

><p>"Who's in charge of Platform One?" the Doctor asked as they walked down a maintenance shaft full of wires. "Is there a Captain or what?"<p>

"There's just the Steward and the staff," Jabe replied. "All the rest is controlled by the metal mind."

"You mean the computer? But who controls that?"

"The Corporation," said Jabe. "They move Platform One from one artistic event to another."

"But there's no one from the Corporation on board?"

"They're not needed. This facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the Alpha class. Nothing can go wrong."

"Unsinkable?"

"If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate."

"You're telling me," said the Doctor. "I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. It wasn't half cold. So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?"

"I'm afraid not," said Jabe, finally realizing the trouble of the situation.

"Fantastic," the Doctor muttered.

"I don't understand," said Jabe, not picking up on the Doctor's sarcasm. "In what way is that fantastic?"

"I've got another question," Chloe piped up. "What's a prostitute?"

* * *

><p>"Soon, the sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die," Cassandra lamented as Rose approached. "That's where I used to live, when I was a little boy, down there. Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice. I'd have such fun."<p>

"What happened to everyone else?" Rose asked. "The human race, where did it go?"

"They say mankind has touched every star in the sky," Cassandra replied.

"So, you're not the last human," Rose said for clarification.

"I am the last _pure_ human," Cassandra explained. "The others… mingled. Oh, they call themselves new humans and proto-humans and digi-humans, even human-ish, but you know what I call them? Mongrels."

"Right," said Rose, not really liking this. "And you stayed behind."

"I kept myself pure." Her voice as she said this was quite snooty and above-it-all.

"How many operations have you had?" Rose asked.

"Seven hundred and eight. Next week, it's seven hundred and nine. I'm having my blood bleached. Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Rose. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out." Cassandra nodded towards the chin in question.

"I'd rather die," Rose replied.

"Honestly, it doesn't hurt," said Cassandra.

"No, I mean it," said Rose. "I would rather die. It's better to die than live like you, a bitchy trampoline."

"Oh, well. What do you know," said the bitchy trampoline in the same snooty voice.

That set Rose off. "Chloe and I were born on that planet, and so were my parents, and that makes us, officially, the last human beings on this space station, 'cos you're not human. You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened till there's nothing left. Anything human got chucked in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin. Nice talking." And with that, she walked away, rather pleased with herself.

* * *

><p>"So tell me, Jabe," said the Doctor, "what's a tree like you doing in a place like this?"<p>

"Respect for the Earth," the tree replied.

Apparently, the Doctor didn't buy it, because he said, "Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions."

"Well, perhaps it's a case of… having to be seen at the right occasions," Jabe said, choosing her words carefully.

"In case your share prices drop?" the Doctor asked. "I know you lot. You've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land."

"Doctor, be nice," Chloe chastised.

Jabe gave Chloe a nod before saying, "All the same, we respect the Earth as family. So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest."

"Excuse me," said the Doctor, although the way he said it didn't seem sincere.

"And what about your ancestry, Doctor?" Jabe asked as the Doctor sonicked a panel in the wall. "Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left."

"Leave him alone, Jabe," Chloe muttered.

Jabe ignored the ten-year-old and continued right along, "I scanned you earlier. The metal machine had trouble identifying your species. It refused to admit your existence. And even when it named you, I wouldn't believe it. But it was right. I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. I just wanted to say how sorry I am."

She put her hand on his arm, and the Doctor put his hand over hers. A single tear fell from his eye as he opened the door.

They walked into the engine room, a platform leading to a catwalk running through a series of large fans.

"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy?" the Doctor asked the others. "Fair do's, though, that's a great bit of air conditioning. Sort of nice and old fashioned. Bet they call it retro." He sonicked a panel, saying "Gotcha" as he pulled it off. A small robot resembling a four-legged spider came out and began climbing up the wall. "What the hell's that?"

"Is it part of the... retro?" Chloe asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't think so. Hold on." He made to sonic the spider, but before he could, Jabe shot a vine from her hand and lassoed the robot, pulling it down. "Hey, nice liana," he complimented.

"Thank you," said Jabe. "We're not supposed to show them in public."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody," said the Doctor. "Now then, who's been bringing their pets on board?"

"What does it do?" Chloe asked.

"Sabotage," the Doctor replied. "And the temperature's about to rocket. Come on!"

"Earth death in ten minutes," said the computer.

They ran down the corridor to see that it was filling with smoke from a room surrounded by the blue kid group. "Hold on. Get back." The Doctor sonicked a panel.

"Sun filter rising," said the computer. "Sun filter rising."

(Smoke from the room is filling the corridor and the glare is coming through a small glass panel in the door. The little assistants have gathered.)

"Is the Steward in there?!" Jabe exclaimed.

The Doctor nodded. "You can smell him. Hold on, there's another sun filter programmed to descend." He grabbed Chloe's hand and ran down the corridor towards the next room about to burn.

"Sun filter descending," the computer announced as they reached the room in question.

"Let me out! Let me out!" someone screamed behind the door,

"Anyone in there?" the Doctor called as he began sonicking the panel.

"Let me out!"

Chloe recognized the voice instantly. "Rose! Doctor, it's Rose in there!"

"Oh, well, it would be you," the Doctor muttered.

"Open the door!" Chloe shouted.

"Hold on," said the Doctor. "Give us two ticks." He continued sonicking, and within a few seconds the sun filter was rising again… just to start descending again. "Just what we need. The computer's getting clever."

"Stop mucking about!" Rose exclaimed.

"I'm not mucking about!" the Doctor explained. "It's fighting back."

"Open the door!" Chloe said again.

"I know!" A few seconds later, he was able to get the sun filter up again, but then told Rose the bad news, "The whole thing's jammed. I can't open the doors. Stay there! Don't move!"

"Where are am I going to go, Ipswich?" Rose retorted.

The Doctor, Chloe, and Jabe all ran back to the observation gallery, where Jabe reported, "The metal machine confirms. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."

"How's that possible?" Cassandra asked. "Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturise me, moisturise me." Her attendants sprayed her again.

"Summon the Steward," said Moxx.

"I'm afraid the Steward is dead," Jabe said sadly.

"Who killed him?" Moxx asked.

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe," Cassandra interjected. "He invited us. Talk to the Face. Talk to the Face."

"Easy way of finding out," the Doctor said with a hint of a smile. "Someone bought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to master." He took the spider that Jabe had been scanning and put it on the floor, where it scuttled around, scanning Cassandra and a few of the others before going to the group in black robes.

"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme," Cassandra exclaimed. "J'accuse!"

"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it-" The Doctor went over to the Adherents. The leader tried to hit him, so he pulled off his arm. "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are, an idea." He pulled on a wire and all of the Adherents collapsed. "Remote controlled droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo. Go home."

"Talk to the face indeed," said Chloe as the spider returned to Cassandra.

"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed," Cassandra muttered. "At arms!" The attendants pointed their spray guns at the Doctor.

"What are you going to do, moisturize us?" Chloe asked in a snarky tone that made the Doctor proud.

"With acid," Cassandra finished. "Oh, you're too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face."

"Don't think you're even that," Chloe muttered.

"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it?" the Doctor retorted. "How stupid's that?"

"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims," Cassandra explained. "The compensation would have been enormous."

"Five billion years and it still comes down to money," Chloe sighed.

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this?" Cassandra snapped. "Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, Chloe. Me. Not you and that other freaky little kid."

"Arrest her, the infidel!" Moxx shouted.

"Oh, shut it, pixie. I've still got my final option.

"Oh, shut it, pixie," Cassandra sneered. "I've still got my final option." The computer announced that the Earth would blow in five minutes. "And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby, burn."

"Then you'll burn with us!" Chloe shouted.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Cassandra said in a very not-sorry voice. "I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate." Explosions rang out all over the platform. Forcefields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband. Oh, shame on me. Bye, bye, darlings. Bye, bye, my darlings." There was a flash of blue light, and she and her attendants vanished as the computer announced that the safeties were disengaged and the heat levels rising.

"Reset the computer!" Moxx exclaimed.

"Only the Steward would know how," Jabe replied.

The Doctor shook his head. "No. We can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch. Jabe, come on. You lot, just chill."

"Hold up," Chloe said as they made to leave the room. "I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not," said the Doctor. "Not safe."

"It's not any safer out here!" she argued. "We're all gonna die the minute the planet blows up; I might as well try to help."

"Fine," the Doctor sighed. "Come on!" They ran out the door and to the engine room, where large, razor-sharp fans were turning rapidly. "Oh, and guess where the switch is."

"Heat rising," said the computer. "External temperature five thousand degrees."

"Yeah, we got that," Chloe snapped. "There's a lever over there!"

The Doctor ran to it and pushed it down. The fans slowed down a little, but then they started spinning at top speed again as soon as he let go. "Chloe, hold that down. I'm going in."

Chloe tried to push it down, but she couldn't. "It's too heavy!" she shouted. "Doctor, let me. I'm small; I can make it through the fans."

"Chloe, you can't!" the Doctor exclaimed. "It's not safe."

"Nobody's safe right now!" she retorted. "Hold that down."

The Doctor ran to her and grabbed the lever. "You can do it," he said softly, and then Chloe took off, and she had just reached the landing when she misstepped. "Chloe, watch out!" the Doctor shouted, but it was too late. The last fan hit her from behind and she fell to the ground. "Chloe! CHLOE!" There was no response. "Chloe," he said softly.

He felt a hand on top of his: Jabe's, taking the lever from him.

"You can't," he said. "The heat's going to vent through this place."

"I know," she replied.

"Jabe, you're _made of wood_."

A hint of a smile played along her face. "Then stop wasting time... Time Lord."

The Doctor sighed before making it through the first two fans. He looked back to see that Jabe had caught fire. She let go of the lever and the fans sped to even faster than before. "Planet explodes in ten," the computer started counting. The Doctor breathed and cleared the last fan before rushing to the reset switch. "Raise shields!" he shouted, just as the computer finished its count.

"You did it!" A small voice caused the Doctor to turn.

"Chloe!" The Doctor ran to the small girl's side. "Oh, Chloe, you're alive."

"Yeah," she nodded. "Ow..."

The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and quickly scanned her. "No broken bones," he sighed in relief.

"Slight loss of dignity, though," Chloe replied. "No change there. Y'know, you never answered my question," she pointed out as the Doctor scooped her up and carried her back across the catwalk. "Back in the maintenance duct. I asked what a prostitute was."

"Really, Chloe? The Earth just blew up, and we all nearly died in the explosion, and _that's_ what's on your mind?"

She grinned broadly. "It's naughty, isn't it."

"Yeah."

"Thought so," she chuckled, and then she passed out as they passed Jabe's smoking remains.

* * *

><p>They walked back into the observation gallery to see that most but not all of the guests had survived. The Doctor went over to the two other trees and told them of Jabe's passing before Rose walked up to them.<p>

"Oh my God," she said when she saw Chloe's unconscious body. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, we're both fine," said the Doctor. He handed Chloe to Rose before saying in a much louder voice, "I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He walked over to Cassandra's ostrich egg and cracked it to reveal a small device. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He fiddled with the device and Cassandra was beamed back in.

"Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces," said the villainess, before realizing she had been brought back in. "Oh."

"The last human," the Doctor growled.

"So, you passed my little test," she laughed nervously. "Bravo. This makes you eligible to join, er, the Human Club."

"People have died, Cassandra," the Doctor said angrily. "You murdered them."

"It depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries," Cassandra said triumphantly. "Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile and cry and flutter-"

"-And creak?" the Doctor interrupted.

"And what?"

"Creak. You're creaking." Indeed, creaking sounds were coming from the piece of skin.

"What? Ah! I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturise me, moisturise me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!"

"You raised the temperature," the Doctor said casually.

"Have pity! Moisturise me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything."

"Help her," Rose said softly.

The Doctor looked at her, and then at Chloe's little body, before saying, "Everything has its time and everything dies."

"I'm too young!" Cassandra moaned, and then she went splat.

* * *

><p>The Doctor ran back to the TARDIS with Chloe in his arms, and, once the ship assured him that she'd take care of the injured child, went back to find Rose.<p>

"It's gone," she said softly as she stared out a window. "We were too busy saving ourselves. No one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just..." She trailed off.

"Come with me," the Doctor said gently, and he took her hand.

* * *

><p>They walked out of the TARDIS to see a busy London street. "You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't," said the Doctor. "One day it's all gone. Even the sky." He took a breath. Time to tell her. "My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust. Before its time."<p>

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"There was a war and we lost," he said sadly.

"A war with who? What about your people?"

"I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor explained. "I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left traveling on my own 'cos there's no one else."

"There's me and Chloe," Rose pointed out.

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?" he asked.

"I don't know," Rose sighed. "I want... Oh, can you smell chips?"

"Yeah." He smiled broadly.

"I want chips," Rose decided.

"Me too," the Doctor agreed.

"Is Chloe alright?" Rose asked.

The Doctor nodded. "The TARDIS is taking care of her. She'll be just fine."

"Right then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay."

"No money," the Doctor said, smirking slightly.

"What sort of date are you?!" Rose exclaimed. "Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years till the shops close." And they walked off, hand in hand.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! "The End Of The World" is over! "The Unquiet Dead" is next!<strong>

**Keep those reviews coming, and checkout What the Fluff!**

**And, as always, love and ducks to the Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, shoutouts to my sisters, and cookies for all!**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxx**


	6. Blue Gas

**Chapter Six: Blue Gas**

"Hold that one down!" the Doctor shouted from across the console.

"I'm holding this one down!" Rose shouted back.

"Well, hold them both down!"

"It's not going to work," Rose muttered as she stretched across the console.

"Oi! I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting. Now, you've seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?"

"What happened in 1860?" Rose asked.

"I don't know! Let's find out. Hold on, here we go!" The TARDIS shook and rumbled and eventually stopped, but roughly enough that Rose and the Doctor fell down on their backs.

"Aww, I missed all the fun," Chloe whined as she walked into the console room and looked down at the Doctor and Rose on the floor. "That's so not fair."

"Well, you wouldn't have if you hadn't picked an awful time to go to the bathroom," the Doctor said with his typical snark.

"Are you alright?" Chloe asked, ignoring the Doctor. She held a hand out to help Rose uo.

"Yeah. I think so," Rose replied, taking Chloe's hand and standing up. "Nothing broken. Did we make it? Where are we?"

The Doctor stood up and walked over to the monitor. "I did it. Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860."

"That's so weird," Rose mused. "It's Christmas."

"All yours," the Doctor said with a proud grin.

"But, it's like, think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once, just once and it's gone, it's finished, it'll never happen again. Except for you. You can go back and see days that are dead and gone a hundred thousand sunsets ago." She smiled slightly. "No wonder you never stay still."

"Not a bad life," the Doctor nodded.

"Better with three," said Rose. "Come on then." She took Chloe's hand and made for the door.

"Hey, where do you two think you're going?" the Doctor asked.

"1860!" the girls said together.

The Doctor shook his head. "Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella. There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Hurry up!" Rose and Chloe rushed off, while the Doctor went under the console to make sure the rough landing hadn't damaged his precious ship.

A few moments later, Rose and Chloe came back into the console room. The Doctor slid out from under the console, and upon seeing them, immediately exclaimed, "Blimey!"

"Don't laugh," Rose half-begged.

The Doctor grinned. "You look beautiful, considering."

"Considering what?" Rose asked.

"That you're human," the Doctor said casually.

"I think that's a compliment," Rose mused.

"Aren't you going to change?" Chloe asked.

"I've changed my jumper. Come on." The Doctor made for the door, but Rose stopped him.

"You stay there," Rose ordered. "You've done this before. This is mine." She took Chloe's hand again and opened the door.

"Ready for this?" the Doctor asked. Chloe nodded eagerly. "Here we go. History."

They walked down a street and listened as a choir sang "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen." Chloe smiled softly as she remembered the time her school chorus went caroling and sang that song.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was buying a newspaper. "I got the flight a bit wrong," he announced, pulling Chloe from her daydream.

"I don't care," said Rose, excited that she was in the past.

"It's not 1860, it's 1869," the Doctor continued.

"I don't care," Rose repeated.

"And it's not Naples."

"I don't care." Rose's tone became a hint more annoyed.

"It's Cardiff."

Rose stopped in her tracks. "Right…"

Suddenly, they heard screams. "That's more like it!" the Doctor exclaimed. He grabbed Rose's and Chloe's hands and they took off towards the sound.

They reached a theater and walked inside to see a strange blue entity coming through the nostrils of an old woman and flowing around the room. Within a few seconds, the woman collapsed. Chloe screamed and hid her face in the Doctor's side.

"Fantastic," said the Doctor, wrapping his arm around Chloe's shoulder. Rose grinned at the use of his catchphrase before giving Chloe's hand a gentle squeeze. A man came running off the stage and towards them. "Did you see where it came from?" the Doctor asked.

The man glared at him. "Ah, the wag reveals himself, does he? I trust you're satisfied, sir!"

Meanwhile, another man and a young, dark-haired woman about Rose's age were picking up the woman who had collapsed. "Oi! Leave her alone!" Rose exclaimed. "Doctor, I'll get them." She ran out of the theater.

"Be careful!" the Doctor called after her before turning back to the man from the stage. "Did it say anything? Can it speak? I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this is Chloe." He nodded toward Chloe, who mumbled a hello, still freaked out by the blue… stuff.

"Doctor? You look more like a navvie," said the man.

"What's wrong with this jumper?" asked the Doctor. Chloe giggled. Just then, the blue stuff flew into a gas light. "Gas! It's made of gas!"

* * *

><p>"What're you doing?!" Rose exclaimed as the old man and younger woman made their way over to their coach.<p>

"Oh, it's a tragedy, miss," the girl explained quickly. "Don't worry yourself. Me and the master will deal with it. The fact is, this poor lady's been taken with the brain fever and we have to get her to the infirmary."

Rose touched the old woman's hand. "She's cold. She's dead! Oh, my God, what'd you do to her?" Suddenly, the old man came behind her and stuck a chloroform-soaked cloth to her face. Instantly she collapsed.

"What did you do that for?" asked the girl.

"She's seen too much," said the old man. "Get her in the hearse."

* * *

><p>"Rose!" the Doctor shouted as he and Chloe ran out of the theater. Chloe's eyes were filling with tears, but the Doctor didn't notice.<p>

"You're not escaping me, sir," the man from the stage said as he followed them. "What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?"

"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks. Oi, you! Follow that hearse!" He helped Chloe into the closest carriage before climbing in himself.

"I can't do that, sir," said the driver."

"Why not?" the Doctor asked.

"I'll tell you why not," said the man from the stage. "I'll give you a very good reason why not. Because this is my coach!"

"Well, get in, then," said the Doctor. "Move!"

The man from the stage glared pointedly at the Doctor before climbing into the coach.

"You're gonna have to sit on my lap, Chloe," said the Doctor as the driver cracked the whip. Chloe nodded and sniffed lightly as she climbed into the Doctor's lap. "There's a good girl. Come on, you're losing them!"

"Everything in order, Mr. Dickens?" asked the driver.

"No! It is not!" shouted Dickens.

"What did he say?" asked the Doctor.

"Let me say this first," said Dickens. "I'm not without a sense of humour."

"Dickens?"

"Yes," Dickens sighed.

"_Charles_ Dickens?"

"Yes."

"_The_ Charles Dickens?" The Doctor grinned broadly.

"Is that the one who wrote all the big long books?" Chloe asked.

"Should I remove the gentleman and the child, sir?" the driver asked.

"That's right, Chloe," said the Doctor, ignoring the driver. "Charles Dickens! You're brilliant, you are. Completely one hundred percent brilliant. I've read them all. Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?"

"A Christmas Carol?"

"No, no, no, the one with the trains. The Signal Man, that's it. Terrifying! The best short story ever written. You're a genius. Chloe, can you believe it? We're sitting in a coach with Charles Dickens!"

"You want me to get rid of them, sir?

"Er, no, I think he can stay," sighed Dickens.

"Honestly, Charles. Can I call you Charles? I'm such a big fan."

"A what?" asked Dickens. "A big what?"

"Fan. Number one fan, that's me," the Doctor grinned.

Dickens gave him a confused look. "How exactly are you a fan? In what way do you resemble a means of keeping oneself cool?"

"No, it means fanatic, devoted to," the Doctor explained. "Mind you, I've got to say, that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what's that about? Was that just padding or what? I mean, it's rubbish, that bit."

"I thought you said you were my fan," said Dickens.

"Ah, well, if you can't take criticism," sighed the Doctor. "Go on, do the death of Little Nell, it cracks me up. No, sorry, forget about that. Come on, faster!"

"Who exactly is in that hearse?" asked Dickens.

"Rose," Chloe whispered sadly.

"Our friend," said the Doctor. "She's only nineteen. It's my fault. She's in my care, and now she's in danger."

"Why are we wasting my time talking about dry old books?!" Dickens exclaimed. This is much more important. Driver, be swift! The chase is on!"

"Yes, sir!" said the driver.

"Attaboy, Charlie," the Doctor grinned.

"Nobody calls me Charlie," said Dickens.

"The ladies do," the Doctor replied without missing a beat.

"How do you know that?" Dickens looked at the Doctor quizzically.

"I told you, I'm your number one-"

"-Number one fan," Dickens sighed.

"We're here, sir," said the driver.

The Doctor, Chloe, and Dickens exited the coach and approached the threshold of a very creepy-looking house with the words PHILLIP GARGERY SNEED, UNDERTAKER on a sign next to the front door. Chloe shuddered slightly. This was getting worse by the minute.

Dickens knocked loudly on the door and it opened to reveal the dark-haired girl they'd seen at the theater. "I'm sorry, sir. We're closed," said the girl.

"Nonsense," said Dickens. "Since when did an Undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master."

"He's not in, sir," said the girl.

Dickens was clearly getting impatient. "Don't lie to me, child. Summon him at once."

"I'm awfully sorry, Mister Dickens, but the master's indisposed."

Inside the house, a gas lamp flared. Chloe gulped and grabbed the Doctor's hand. "Having trouble with your gas?" the Doctor asked casually.

"What the Shakespeare is going on?" Dickens exclaimed.

The Doctor pushed the girl aside and headed towards the gas lamp.

"You're not allowed inside, sir," said the girl.

The Doctor blatantly ignored her. "There's something inside the walls," he said to Chloe. "The gas pipes. Something's living inside the gas."

Just then, they heard a scream. "Let me out! Open the door!"

"That's her," said the Doctor. "Come on." He grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her down the corridor towards Rose, still screaming to get out.

As they ran, they bumped into Mr. Sneed. "How dare you, sir! This is my house!"

"Shut up," said Dickens.

"I told you," Sneed said to the girl.

"Let me out! Somebody open the door! Open the door!" They reached the door in question, which the Doctor promptly kicked down to reveal Rose, who was in the clutches of a man who, given the fact that the room was full of coffins, was dead.

"I think this is my dance," said the Doctor, pulling Rose away from the man.

"It's a prank," said Dickens. "It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence."

"No, we're not," said the Doctor. "The dead are walking." He then looked down at Rose. "Hi."

"Hi." said Rose. "Who's your friend?"

"Charles Dickens," the Doctor said casually.

"Okay." Chloe expected Rose to be a bit more shocked, but then again, they had just seen the world explode while surrounded by blue people, talking trees, and a face stretched out like a bitchy trampoline.

The Doctor turned to address the dead man. "My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"

The man opened his mouth, but when he spoke, he seemed to with multiple voices, all somewhat childlike. "Failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us. Argh!" And with that, the gas flew out of the man and back into the lamp and the man collapsed.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! Sorry for the slow update! So many stories, so little time.<strong>

**I have a few announcements to make:**

**First, I have a new program called Ofelia Sent Me!** **Ofelia Sent Me is a new project I've come up with to encourage reading other peoples' fanfic! Here's how it works: On my profile, there is a list of Ofelia Sent Me Writers. If you read a story written by any of these people and leave a review including the phrase "Ofelia sent me," you will become an Ofelia Sent Me Writer yourself and people will be encouraged to read and review YOUR stuff! How cool is that! For more information (including the instructions for how OSM writers report reviews), check my profile!**

**Second, I'm holding a contest! Three of my stories (Bad Boy, Start Again, and More Than Good Enough), need cover images. Make a cover image and email it to me at unshakespearean at gmail dot com, and you might win a prize so amazing I can't even tell you what it is!**

**Third, as usual, make sure to checkout What the Fluff!**

**And finally, a super special welcome to not one, but TWO new members of the Lone Shippers: KASSIE (icecreamdancer), and KAIRA (VampireKaira)!**

**As always, love and ducks to all of the Lone Shippers (Rachel, Emma, Seraphina, Mary, Rachel, Rhian, Ellie-Mai, Meg, Fedrogen, Caitlin, Rose, Lilly200, Kendra, Kaira, and Kassie), hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, shoutouts to my chosen sisters, and cookies for all!**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxx**


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